May 25, 2004

Carolina in the News

Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina
people and programs cited recently in the media:

National Coverage

Kerry faces challenges in drawing support in South
USA Today
Deborah Helen Viator typifies John Kerry's challenge in the South....Despite Laurent's doubts, Ferrel Guillory, director of the University of North Carolina's Program on Southern Politics, said Democrats have reasons for optimism in Louisiana.

Rutgers' traveling seminar is 540 miles of Jersey living
The Star-Ledger, Newark
If you had a bus, a $64,000 budget and a group of out-of-state people who wanted to see the real New Jersey-- beyond the usual tourist spots and turnpike jokes -- where would you send them?...The faculty tour, which will become an annual event, is modeled after similar programs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Washington.

Study Shows Childhood Obesity May Result In Future Lung Problems Like Asthma
WebMD
As the number of children defined as overweight and obese continues to rise, researchers say new studies now show that obese children are more susceptible to lung damage from air pollution than lean youngsters....David B. Peden, MD, MS, professor of pediatrics and center director of the Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, says, "Being overweight clearly causes a lot of bad things to happen. But even a modest reduction in weight can have a big effect on a child's health, including [lung problems tied to] air pollution."

Area woman loses chance for spot on 'Young and Restless'
Dayton (Ohio) Daily News
Centerville resident Alexandra Villareal, one of the 10 contestants in the Soap Star Screen Test, failed to get enough votes to land an appearance on the The Young and the Restless....Villareal will return to the University of North Carolina, where she will enter her second year of Journalism and Mass communication studies.

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State & Local Coverage

In this rare year of a fat - instead of lean - budget, pork projects rule
Asheville Citizen-Times
For the first time in three years, the state budget is in the black....Senate lawmakers approved legislation last week authorizing $240 million in debt to build a new cancer center in Chapel Hill and a center at East Carolina University to treat and research cardiovascular disease.

One bill for research centers would be a doozy
The News & Observer
House Democratic Speaker Jim Black is still pulling together a plan to finance five university research projects with a pay-little-now-but-lots-later scheme....Remaining are five university research projects, she said: a $180 million cancer center at UNC-Chapel Hill; $60 million for a cardiovascular institute at East Carolina University; $35 million for a center to collect and analyze genetic data at UNC-Charlotte; $35 million for a center for wellness and aging at UNC-Asheville; and $32 million for a school of pharmacy at Elizabeth City State University.

A realistic result in Iraq (Point of View)
The News & Observer
Between the Bush administration's "staying the course" and an equally disastrous "cut and run" in Iraq, there is a third course....Anthony Oberschall is emeritus professor of sociology and Richard H. Kohn is professor of history at UNC-Chapel Hill. Oberschall teaches a course on peace-building and Kohn directs the Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense.

Group: NCAA needs control
The News & Observer
During William Friday's trip to Capitol Hill last week, members of Congress questioned whether the NCAA was up to the job of controlling college athletics....Jack Evans, UNC's faculty athletics representative and a member of the NCAA's Division I Management Council, told the commission that the NCAA must still determine the "cut rate" for acceptable program and graduation standards.
Related link: http://www.herald-sun.com/sports/18-483994.html

Device Helps Young Heart Patients Prepare For Transplant
WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh)
When a child needs a heart transplant, the wait is often months -- even a year. Sometimes when a heart is available, the child is too sick to get it...."In some of our patients, we know that they are so desperately ill they won't survive until a heart becomes available," said Dr. Michael Mill, chief of cardiothoracic surgery at University of North Carolina Hospitals.

Issues & Trends

The College Aid Crisis (Editorial)
The New York Times
Nearly a half-million Americans will be turned away from four-year colleges this year for financial reasons, thanks to rising tuition costs and declining state and federal aid for low- and middle-income students. Congress should modify the federal college loan system to deal with this problem. A proposed bill would save billions of dollars that could then be redirected into grants for tuition aid.
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Wait-List Admissions Jump at Top Schools
The Wall Street Journal
For students on the wait list for admission to top-flight universities, there could still be hope....As colleges tally the number of admitted students who are enrolling, many are coming up short of filling their classes and are now turning to the students they neither admitted nor rejected, but put on hold.
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Coaches, academics debate solutions to recruiting woes
USA Today
The reform-minded Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics on Monday applauded the NCAA's recent academic plan as an important step toward higher graduation rates and a meaningful academic experience for athletes.

Note: If you have any questions about Carolina in the News, please call Russell Campbell at News Services, (919) 962-2091, russell_campbell@unc.edu, or Mike McFarland in University Communications, mike_mcfarland@unc.edu

Note: Web links on this page are time-sensitive, so stories might not be available after the day they first appeared.